One Mom's Quest to become an Author

Query Shark

It’s June 1st. The kids are home, the house is a mess, and I’m not writing at all. It’s really hard to get in the zone when someone’s asking for a snack or the potty every five minutes. Not that I’m not happy to spend time with them, but I’m really looking forward to a few hours off tomorrow!

I’m deep in the midst of my least favorite part of writing right now – querying. Most writers with aspirations towards publishing is familiar with that loathsome word. Querying, otherwise known as constant, soul-crushing rejection. For those not familiar with the process, a query is a letter sent to literary agents explaining your project and why you think they should represent your work. Think the inside of a book jacket plus a resume. There are probably people out there who are fantastic at summarizing their novel in two short paragraphs, complete with a catchy “hook” to entice potential agents. I am not one of them. While I believe I am a good writer and that my novel is interesting and well written, I am apparently incapable of showing that in a snappy letter.

I have written many versions of query letters. I read Chuck Sambuchinos’s and Janet Reid aka Query Shark’s blog regularly (two excellent sources for examples of well written queries). Still, though, the perfect query letter eludes me. But like every other part of the writing process, you can only improve by continuing to write. So, I’m off to rewrite WITHIN query number 37.

Good luck to all the other writers stuck in the hell that is querying!